Unexpected results! Or maybe not...

As promised, here they are: the results of my last blood test, taken on February 29th, 2016, after more than 1000 km of running. First surprise: my total cholesterol level increased again! Am I worried? Not at all, because my HDL cholesterol value (the so-called "good" one), made a jump forward as well, so now my total cholesterol/HDL ratio is below 5 (4,2), meaning that the risk for heart disease is now lower than in the past 12 months. This is the reason why I can put up with my high total cholesterol level (set off by satisfactory triglycerides values), even if I have to admit that I would like to see it going under 200. But maybe this is impossible, considering my genetic predisposition (see this post here). 

Let's have a look at the values, compared with the last two blood tests I took in April and July 2015.

 I highlighted the last two numbers at the bottom end on the right side of the chart, as they prove the progress I made on the last 12 months. You might say: "you shouldn't be so happy, as your total cholesterol level increased!". Well, I remind you that this value includes also the HDL value, which changed from 49 to 62 (and this explains why the tot-cholesterol is now higher ), whereas the LDL level (the "bad guy") decreased. Now some basic conclusion: it seems it's very hard to make HDL raise and the total cholesterol level drop at the same time (a question for a real doctor: is that actually possible?). Anyway, what keeps the smile on my face is the fact that the two ratios on the chart in fact decreased, and that my HDL level corresponds now to the value of a "real" long-distance runner (athletes' HDL is usually above 60). 

And here some more "advanced" charts I made. Honestly, their scientific value is very poor, nevertheless I enjoyed a lot collecting these data and turning them into graphics.

 Chart 1

The yellow columns, that represent the total cholesterol levels,   refer to the range of the Y axis on the right, whereas the kilometers I ran refer to that on the left. Every week, I kept track of the distances I covered, specifying how many kms I ran keeping a pace below 5 minutes per km (a running style that, according some study, produces effects on the HDL level). Unfortunately I was not able to take a blood test in October, so I couldn't  detect the potential benefits of my summer performances, which were quite intense.

Chart 2

Here come the good news (and some food for thoughts): if the moderate physical exercise I did in spring 2015 didn't have any significant impact on the HDL level, the August and September performances (see especially the red line) seem to have produced a considerable increase of this value, which is now above 60. Possible conclusion: increasing your mileage and your speed (meaning: running 10 km under 50 minutes 2/3 times per week) has an impact on your HDL value. 

 Chart 3

 If you have doubts about it, this chart shows how physical activity and a junk-food free diet help decreasing the "bad" cholesterol level, even if in my case the change is not that sizable. Actually, in the last months the LDL value didn't drop as I expected, but at least it did not increase either, which is ok for me. Thanks to the new lifestyle, the drop since April 2015 to now is an encouraging - 14%.

 Chart 4

Having a look at this chart, I can see that my triglycerides level has slightly increased: I have to admit that I am less strict than in the past months when it comes to food, and I indulged myself in occasional "escapades" that might have influenced the current value, which is however quite good. 

Chart 5

 This chart is a bit messy: the columns show the Total, LDL and HDL cholesterol levels, plus the Triglycerides, whereas the dotted lines represent respectively the total amount of kilometers I have run all over the last 10 months (blue line) and those I've run fast (< 5 min/km pace, red line). Let's turn all this into a working hypothesis: an average of around 50 km (fast) and 100 km (jogging pace) monthly running might contribute to a drop and then to a stabilization of triglycerides levels and a decrease of LDL cholesterol values. HDL values might improve, but only if the monthly mileage increases considerably (see previous charts).

Conclusions

As I always say, I am not a doctor, so the interpretation of the data above are completely unscientific. However, throughout the last year, I've learned many new things about cholesterol, running and healthy lifestyle, and today results are an incentive to run longer and faster, even if I am getting older and outside the cold wind keeps blowing. But this will not discourage me: as the Boss says, we are born to run!

And the winner is...

My dear 25,376,987 (imaginary) friends,

I am proud to inform you that, with the 28 km covered this week, I've reached (and surpassed) the 1000 km target! Starting from May 2015, I've kept track of all the distances I've run all over the last 10 months and tomorrow I am going to the hospital to check my blood values again. The last time I did it was in July, when I "achieved" my goal: my total cholesterol level decreased by 10% without any medicament. Now I am curious to see the new results (I expect a further 10% decrease) after 8 more months of running, healthy life style and junk-food-free diet, with limited consumption of alcohol and pizza. Stay tuned, as the best is yet to come: I promise to post graphics about my last 10 months performances and up-to-date cholesterol values (total, HDL, LDL and triglycerides).

A document from the past

The other day, searching through the documents stored in a drawer, I found a "relic" dated April 1992: a paper with the results of a blood test I took when I was 16 years old! Let's check it out together.

My total cholesterol level was 195 (23 years later - and before starting running: 282), my HDL value was 52 (the same) and the triglycerides value was 60 (110 in 2015). It is surprising to notice that in this old document there is no mention of LDL cholesterol, whereas the risk range for triglycerides is set between 10 and 170. At the time being, doctors consider risky any value beyond 150. And what about total cholesterol? In 1992, a value of 200 was quite ok, as the risk level was 220, but now the range is 80 - 200. Only the HDL value has remained unchanged.

This brings us to the points I raised in my post about the misuse multinational companies make of such values, in order to maximize their profit spreading panic around this issue. We can ask ourselves: a person with a total cholesterol level of 210 in 1992 had more chances of incurring a heart disease than a person with the same blood level in 2015? 

Second point: the value of 195 is a proof that I suffer from familial hypercholesterolemia (as you know, I am not a doctor, so this is my personal diagnosis), meaning that my cholesterol level is and was high because of genetic reasons (am I looking for alibis?). Back then I used to make sport almost every day (at school or with my basketball team), I ran as only a teenager can ran (sometimes just for fun) and I didn't drink any alcohol (I started a couple of years later), nor I ate junk food. 

My April 2015 high values were the result of two decades of "dietary anarchy", during which I kept on practicing sport but at a very moderate level (and never regularly) and I discovered the pleasure of drinking high quality German and Belgian beer. Three months of intense and regular physical activity, matched with a diet based on fruit, vegetable, fish and carbohydrates, produced a decrease of 10% in my cholesterol level. I booked a further blood test, that I intend to make in some weeks, to monitor my (potential) progress. I am very curious about the result!

 

Yes, I'm still running!

I know, I haven't posted many articles over the last weeks, but I want to reassure my fans (do I have fans?) that I am still running. Unfortunately, due to the Christmas stop, my old companion (the numb foot) has reappeared, so I cannot run longer than 7 km at the moment, but I am working on it. A few days ago I bought some winter equipment for my winter running, which is going to help me face the cold weather: gloves, neck-warmer and ear-warmer. Last but not least, soon I am going to check my blood levels again. I am very curious, as last time I checked them (July 2015) my values had improved, and in the mean time I covered around 600 km. I will let you know about the newest development.

10km again (with a brand new heart rate monitor!)

Santa Claus (aka Mam & Dad) brought me a nice running watch with heart rate monitor. It's a very useful device that measures the heartbeat while running through a belt to be worn around the chest. The display shows different data, such as the maximum heart rate, information about calories and of course the time. The function that I find particularly useful is the percentage of maximum rate, as all over the last 6 months I've been training my aerobic endurance to increase my resistance in the medium-long distance (10km). My maximum heart rate is 181, so my training zone for the aim I set should be between 80% and 90% of this value (according to some theories), but I prefer to take into consideration the higher zone, between 90% and 100%. The watch helps me monitor my hear rate according to this parameter. 

My new HRM watch

This morning I ran 10 km in 49:22 (4:56 min/km) and I learned something interesting: I noticed that the first 1000 meters are quite stressful for my heart (it goes beyond 200 beats), but after 5 minutes the pace gets normal (around 80%). After the 7th km it reaches 100%, which is ok. The last 2 km the watch showed 101%, and during the last 500 meters, which I sprinted in around 2 minutes, the percentage reached the peak of 104. Now my (very hard) task is to keep the rate below 100% for longer distances, up to 21 km. Will our hero accomplish this mission?

7 km Personal Bests from August to December 2015

7K is an intersting distance to cover for a runner. On one hand, it's not that long and exhausting and can be run even in less than 30 minutes (if one is fit, of course), on the other hand it requires a certain effort, if the runner opts for a brisk pace (let's say, 4:30 minutes per km). Here below you can find the list of my best performances on this distance, from August to December. I decided to update the list today, after a satisfying session concluded with a decent time.

7 km Personal Bests

1. September, 22nd -  32:39

2. November, 3rd    -  32:59

3. August, 8th          -  33:00
4. December, 25th   -  33:00

5. December, 17th  -  33:45

6. December, 12th   - 34:25

Standard: 35:00 (5min/km)

Numb feet again: updated information

Do you remember my post about the "numb foot effect" after 35 minutes of running? Well, here it comes again! 

The last time I ran 10 km was October, 13th. Since that day, I haven't run more than 7 km and longer than 40 minutes without break, due to different reasons. Today I've resumed my long-distance running: my intention was to cover at least 8 km or even 10 km, but after 32 minutes (my pace was around 4:50 minutes per km) I perceived the same hitching sensation I used to feel some months ago, so I stopped. 

This fact corroborates my theory, according to which it takes constant long-distance exercise in order to avoid this annoying problem, that seems to reappear each time after 4-6 weeks of inactivity.  I will keep you posted about further development.